The Fall of Itsuka
by Miko Shroaded In Instantiy
Summary: Kyou knows only war. Since the arrival of Princess Topaz his family has defended life. When his fiancé is placed under a dark curse he seeks out the Silver Crystal, only to receive word that all he fought for was lost forever. Sidestory:Separation Anx.
1. Prologue: The Illusion of Perfection

The Fall of Itsuka

Prologue

The Illusion of Perfection

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Young Boy: I recall when I was little… I would pretend I fought off demonic creatures. In the rolling, lust hills of Itsuka, my home planet, I didn't think anything could, or would want to, destroy this peaceful home. It wasn't until I was thirteen years old that I realized how naïve my thoughts were. How hopeless peace really was in this forsaken universe.

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The sun blared down on the soft green grass as it waved carelessly in the soft wind. The falling blue petals of the Itsukarian Cherry blossom fell like rain around a young boy, who lay half asleep under its gracious foliage. Occasionally opening his eyes to stay awake, the boy's violently red eyes lazily viewed the falling petals before sliding shut again as he enjoyed the passive sounds of the bird's above him.

The day was lazy as many others in the past. After fighting off the many demons that roamed the lands (invisible to all but Kyou), there wasn't much left to do but nap under his favorite tree with a good book draped over his stomach. Rolling onto his stomach and pulling himself up, Kyou made his way in a sprint to the stream leading into a thinly populated forest. The cool, clear water splashed around him as he made a point to step into the stream at least once in his journey. With a final duck, Kyou helped himself out from beneath a low, fallen tree trunk, and paused a moment to view the castle in the low valley before him.

The walls were made of sparkling stone, with bright green gardens, rows of blooming Cherry Blossom trees, and winding paths of black river-stones. The sky overhead was dark lavender, with clouds of orange as the two suns began to set behind the horizon of the mountains in the distance. High towers with wide windows overlooked the grounds of lush flora beauty.

Taking a deep breath, Kyou continued with his short legs down the steep slope, the gates becoming higher and higher with each yard. Arriving with a stumble, he entered the opened gates as they glowed a soft white light, looking back at the small rock he'd lost his footing on. Deciding it was such a silly thing to make the better of him, he turned back to look at his path, only to fall to his butt in a sudden impact with a soft figure.

"Kyou…" A soft, misty voice stated in some surprise. Placing a thin, pale hand out to him, the tall woman smiled down at him with glowing white teeth and electric blue eyes. Her long, flowing blonde hair fell over her shoulders and draped down only inches from the ground as she bend at her waist to help up the young boy at her feet. "What are you doing outside the gates?"

Kyou took the hand, and stood, brushing off his white, bagged, silk shirt and his black pants. With a final sweep of his knee-high, black leather boots, he smiled up at the woman as he ran his fingers though his long hair, "Oh, nothing." He held the book up in a gentle gesture, "Just getting some reading done."

The woman flipped her long hair back behind her slender shoulder, straightening her long, flowing, green silk dress. Her long sleeves hung over her hands as she placed them on the shoulder of the young boy, guiding his gently toward the gardens, "Your father would worry you know…"

"He shouldn't! Evil only exists in fairy tales!" Kyou protested stubbornly.

The smile washed over the woman's face, "You have much to learn… Peace does not last forever."

Kyou's confusion stayed with him, for a sudden flash of light erupted in the sky high above. Placing her arms around Kyou, the woman looked around as she protected him maternally. Through her arms, Kyou watched the lavender sky bleed crimson as a black crystal fell from the sky. In a sudden crash, the sound of flaming air dissipated, leaving behind an eerie silence.

"What was that?" Kyou asked, looking up at the woman, "Mother?"

The wide, frightened eyes of his mother showed through her shaking being. Her frightened voice was closer to a whisper than anything, "Get inside… Find your father…"

"What do I tell him?" Kyou asked as his mother gently but forcefully pushed him toward the inner gates of the palace.

His mother stood tall, eyeing the ominous red glow coming from behind the mountain to the west, "They've come at last…"


	2. Chapter 1: A Long Awaited Enemy

The Fall of Itsuka

Chapter One

A Long Awaited Enemy

"So they've finally come," a man's voice echoed in the vast, spacious room inside the palace. The walls were clear, so all could be seen around them, as if in a room of protective ice. Upon large, transparent screens, a number of charts flashed with strange symbols.

"It's just as they predicted," noted a young man as he typed on a screen.

In the center of the command room, a tall man, wearing dark armor of scale-like texture, with long black pants and high boots of fresh leather, stood tall with his heavy, powerful arms crossed over his chest, his fingers gently stroking his thin chin. "Damage Report!"

From across the room, an official looking woman in a black jump-suit and short brown hair yelled back, not shifting her eyes from the screen, "Limited, the dark crystal landed five miles out behind the western mountain ranges."

"Can we get a visual?" the soft voice of Kyou's mother asked, stepping up beside her husband with a gentle hand on his elbow.

"Negative," the woman replied, "The dark energy is blocking our sentry's transmission."

The deep voice of the king echoed with frustration, "I want a visual uplink established in thirty minutes!"

"Yes, Sir!" the voice of the woman blared behind him as the royal party left the room in a hurried pace.

The queen walked beside her king, her long emerald dress waved behind her, "Areon, what do we do?"

Areon paused a moment, turning to look outside the crystallized walls at the gardens outside where the moonlight seemed to reflect off the Sterling Silver rose petals. His experience as a king has many times been tested in his aged life-time, though his experience in battle had been neglected in the prolonged age of peace and happiness in this beautiful land of Itsuka. "I don't want to chance a slaughter. Itsuka will not be safe much longer; not until this evil is disposed of."

"Shall I send out word?" The queen asked timidly, knowing this decision was heart-breaking for the king to decry.

"Let it be known… Itsuka is no longer safe." With a respectful nod, the tall woman walked quickly past him. Reaching out a firm hand, Areon wrapped it around his wife's forearm, stopping her instantly as he looked down at her with his wise, green eyes, "I want you to go too, Komiko. Take Kyou and leave this place while you still can."

Defiantly, Komiko glared at him, a hint of love in her expression, "I will not leave! This is as much my home as it is yours to protect."

"But 'Miko…" he attempted to coerce her as he caressed her forearms with his thumbs, "It's only a matter of time before they attack. Once that happens-"

"Then we protect the home we've created." Komiko smiled at him, "We're staying…" With the final word, she turned and left her husband standing worried in the hall. The echoing of his wife's heels faded into the distance, as his eyes fixated on the roses outside as rain began to fall.

"You want us to leave?"

"What about our homes?"

"Where are we supposed to go?"

Komiko's announcement for civilians to leave was greeted with protests. Standing in the great hall before hundreds of people, she found it difficult to hide the truth, "It isn't safe here anymore. There's a transport ship being loaded for departure as we speak. You will be taken to an allied planet not too far from here."

"Why do we have to leave?"

"Yea! What's going on?"

Sighing, Komiko knew there was no escape from revealing the truth. She couldn't bring herself to lie to her people. They trusted her, and she wanted to give them that trust until the final moments of life. "They have finally come. Those our parents and our grandparents fought in their lifetime- before this time of peace. The Negaverse has finally shown themselves."

Murmurs erupted in the audience. The ominous atmosphere became thick with fear, thickening with each word uttered by the Queen of Itsuka. "We do not know how many yet, but as before, we're certain that it's only a matter of time before more come. We understand that by staying here, we will live a life of war as generations before us have… but we do not wish to risk the lives of you and your families." She paused a moment, looking around the horrified, wide eyes of her subjects. "We ask you to leave before the fighting begins."

A number of people began to clear out of the hall, no doubt beginning to gather their possessions and leave their home. A few lingered, "What about our homes?"

Komiko's head began to throb with all the dramatic needs of the people in her kingdom, "We'll do the best we can to protect them. That's all I can promise you, though."

The last of the people cleared out of the room. Komiko waited until the final person left before allowing her legs to give out as she fell to her knees. Supported by her hands, her torso heaved as she broke into a painful cry. Tears fell from her face in defeat and worry. The hopes of her people were now bared on her and her husband. What should happen if they fail? What should happen if they fall?

Soft arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders. Looking up in worry, she stared through her tears at Kyou, who sat beside her with his powerful arms around her tight. "Please don't cry." Tears were forming in his eyes, though not one escaped his almond-shaped eyes, "We need all the hope we can get… Don't loose yours."

"Visual established," the female announced back in the control room.

"Let us see," Areon replied; his mind focused on the events about to unfold.

A hologram appeared before him in the center of the room. The sight was frightening enough to make gasps emit throughout the room. A large, tower black crystal stuck straight out from the center of a large crater. Black ash plagued the earth around it. Black electricity sparked from the crystal, infecting the sky above it with purple masses of clouds.

"It's enormous!" the woman breathed, her wide eyes not leaving the hologram.

Areon stared at it in somber worry, "Any movement?"

Beeping came from the screen of the woman working on the computer, "None detected yet."

Areon glared at the hologram, "Maybe they're still asleep…"

"Ow, get off me!" a shrill voice yelled out.

"You're on me, Aquamarine!" a slightly softer-pitched voice shot back.

"Both of you, quiet!" ordered a deeper, but still feminine voice. "Amethyst, where are my lights?"

"One moment, Mi' lady," the first voice cooed, hastily tapping her finger nails on a touch screen computer.

"They should have been on before she asked," whispered the second voice to the second in a mocking tone.

"Shut up! I don't see you doing anything!" retorted the first.

"Enough!" the enraged voice of the third voice echoed off the hard walls around them. The frustration quaked in her voice, silencing both her companions. "Your bickering is getting tiresome!"

The silence only last a few moments before the light illuminated the entire room. Three seats scattered the room. One particularly larger one sat on a platform behind the two others, looming over them menacingly. Occupying the seat was a slouched, seemingly annoyed woman with flowing orange-red hair, pale skin, and fiery, red eyes. She wore a black dress, flowing to her ankles. Crossed at the knees, her legs hung loosely, her feet covered with black, silk flats. Her features were thin, accented with dark eye make-up, bold red lips, and a black upside-down crescent moon on her forehead, barely visible through her long bangs. Her head rested lazily on her hand as she watched her two companions, in the chairs below, typing furiously to get everything situated.

"Damage report?" the woman above asked, not seeming to really care all the same.

Aquamarine, a tall woman to her right typed quickly on the screen, "The hull sustained minor damage...All systems nominal." Turning her head fast, she smiled up at her superior, "Couldn't have had a better crash landing, Princess Topaz."

Aquamarine was also very attractive. Her thin body structure was shown positively with a skin-tight jumpsuit of black and a pale blue. Her long, blue hair hung straight down her back and shoulders. Her eyes were a sapphire blue tint as she turned back to the screen and continued typing.

Beside her, a similarly figured woman with lavender locks and boldly purple eyes typed away at the computer. Her jumpsuit was black and purple, though similar to Aquamarine's.

Topaz turned to her, "Where's the nearest inhabitance?"

Amethyst replied almost immediately, ready for the question, "On the other side of the mountains, there's a large city… about five miles out."

Topaz's attention seemed to peak. She sat up straight, letting her arms fall down to her side after pulling herself from the chair. "I want a communication line set up." A smirk cracked over her thin face, "Let us receive our welcoming…"


	3. Chapter 2: First Contact

Author's Note: Please leave some reviews. I haven't gotten any feedback and I'm curious what you guys think! .

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The Fall of Itsuka

Chapter Two

First Contact

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"Sir, we have movement!" announced the female operator in the busy control room of the Itsukarian Palace.

King Areon viewed the hologram of the giant black crystal, embedded only miles from his once serene homeland. He squinted into it, his wrinkles on his forehead seeming to deepen with each passing moment of danger. "Where? I see nothing."

The male operator sitting beside the woman looked over his shoulder at his king, announcing loudly, "We have an incoming communication!"

"Connect us." Areon stiffened, straightening his shirt nervously as he turned and faced the hologram of momentary static. Standing tall, his eyes didn't faultier as the screen erupted with the image of three females, seeming to be all legs and breasts, standing in a triangle, the most beautiful standing slightly in front of the others two in the center of the hologram.

The girl in the front stood with her head tilted erotically to the side, a dark, sinister smile plastered on her thin face, "Greetings, Itsuka. My name is Princess Topaz of the Negaverse. Who is in charge of this inhabitance?"

Areon remained neutral toned, trying not to be the one to start any confrontation, though the impending event was approaching swiftly. "You are speaking to him. I am King Areon, Ruler of Itsuka."

The smile widened on Princess Topaz's face, "Ah, pleasure, your majesty. We send our regards of your marvelous planet. It is certain the jewel of this system."

Areon's expression did not soften at the flattering comments of his opponent. The sarcasm was subtle, but the hints were enough for Areon to catch it. "We send our thanks of your liking," his expression turned dark, and forceful, "Though we are not pleased of your unannounced intrusion."

The two girls behind Topaz ducked behind her back to whisper to one another as Topaz closed her eyes, as if attempting to keep building anger inside of her as she replied with an ostentatious laugh, "Intrusion? Now, why would you call it that?"

Areon didn't notice the arrival of his wife, Queen Komiko, with Kyou standing beside her, eyeing the three life-size women projected in the center of the control room. He continued forcefully, "Do not regard us as ignorant, Princess Topaz… Your father has visited us before many generations ago… Your _Negaverse_ is more than common knowledge to our people..."

The attitude of the three women invading his land sickened Kyou. The pit in his stomach grew, making its way up to his esophagus, and plugging his throat. Hi fists tightened in rage as his face strained to keep in his frustration.

Topaz's smile dropped for a moment, her guise seeming to melt away at his words. "Then you understand the power that stands behind us…"

Kyou couldn't take it. Seeing his mother cry, his father's aged determination, his subject's hopelessness, and the invaders arrogance was too much for him to hold back in silence. "We'll see how much power's left when your heads are rolling off my blade!"

Topaz raised an eyebrow, her head tilting back so her neck was linear to her spine, "Who said that?"

Areon glared over his shoulder after the fact, as Komiko slapped her palm over her son's mouth, attempting to silence him. Glaring at the women now seeming to have more interest in him than his father, he ripped his mother's hand away from his mouth, "Kyou Katsura, Prince of Itsuka."

The woman behind Topaz covered her mouth as she stifled a titter, her wavy, lavender hair waving with her abdominal heaves. The blue haired woman beside her leaned forward mockingly, smiling darkly in Kyou's direction. Her blue eyes seemed to look straight into Kyou's soul, and her cold voice shot through him painfully, "You're a tad young to be speaking for your _father's_ kingdom, aren't you? _Shizuka_!" With the final silencing command from the woman, she reverted back to her tall stature, her eyes never leaving her victim's face until Kyou's face fell, submissively.

Topaz's red eyes blinked, fixated on the young boy for a few minutes, until Areon broke the awkward silence. "Princess Topaz," he spoke clearly and slowly, making her every word had an affect in sinking into her baleful mind, "As Itsuka's guardian, I give you until sunrise to leave this place. After that, we will use brutal force in defense of our city's wellbeing."

Topaz blinked at him, her dark expression penetrated the aging king, "It won't take that long for the dark crystal to consume this defenseless planet… Let the game's begin."

With that, the transmission ceased: leaving only static and silence in the control room. Breathing itself seemed to stop even, as Areon turned disappointedly at his son's direction. "I taught you better than that, Kyou."

Kyou raised his face, glaring angrily at his father, "You know her intentions… It's time to loose the peaceful negotiations, and prepare for war." Kyou turned, stopping at the door and adding over his shoulder, "The hopes and trust of your people are at stake. I don't want to be the one to tell them we failed." With a brief glance at his mother's shocked face, he turned and marched down the hallway toward the long forgotten armory.

Areon and Komiko stood in shocked silence. The two operators had stopped typing, but didn't dare look away from their computer screens. Komiko's heels broke the silence as she stepped toward her husband cautiously, "Kyou is right… We no longer can hide behind friendly negotiations. The war has started, whether we like it or not, and it's time to take steps before everything is lost."

Areon remained motionless still, staring at the corner Kyou just disappeared behind. Dropping his head with a subtle smile, he spoke carefully, "I wonder where he gets his temper from…"

Komiko placed a hand on Areon's cheek as he looked up from the ground and into her eyes. Komiko's blue eyes sparkled with the reflection of the lights and glass around them. Smiling, she replied, "He gets it from his father…"

"Can you believe those pigs?" Amethyst asked, seeming annoyed as she placed her legs on the desk before her. She leaned back in the chair, placing her hands behind her head as she rested her eyes. "I can't believe that little twerp addressed us so arrogantly!"

Aquamarine seemed unmoved, typing away at a hand-held laptop as she examined damaged pieces of the ship's interior, "He had spunk, that's for sure."

Amethyst laughed, "You sure set him straight though, huh? Hiding behind his mommy like a little baby! He'll be too scared of us now!"

Aquamarine adjusted her small spectacles as she continued to type away, "I doubt it… Humans have an impeccable pride. He's probably redirected his fear into anger towards us."

Amethyst leaned forward, resting her head on her hands, with her elbows on her knees, "I've always hated humans…"

Aquamarine smiled, "I've always found them fascinating. Their souls are so easy to manipulate. The possibilities are endless."

Amethyst yawned, "You and your experiments…" She leaned back again, not seeming to find comfort in any position. Looking behind her nervously, she dropped her voice to a whisper, "So what's up with Princess Topaz? She's been acting odd ever since seeing that human brat."

Aquamarine shrugged, "Who knows? She's so young, her hormones are probably going hay-wire. It'll be short lived, no doubt."

Amethyst rolled her eyes, "Oh… that…"


End file.
